Advertisement

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze: Chad Kelly will 'likely' start at QB

Mississippi Blue quarterback Chad Kelly (10) rolls out of the pocket as he tries to find an open receiver while Red defenders pursue during their spring college football game, Saturday, April 11, 2015, in Oxford, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Mississippi Blue quarterback Chad Kelly (10) rolls out of the pocket as he tries to find an open receiver while Red defenders pursue during their spring college football game, Saturday, April 11, 2015, in Oxford, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Chad Kelly will “likely” start at quarterback when Ole Miss begins its season on Saturday, Rebels coach Hugh Freeze told reporters Monday.

Freeze said Kelly, a redshirt junior, has a “slight edge” over Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade. He added that all three would play against Tennessee-Martin and the competition is ongoing.

It’s been a long journey for Kelly to reach this point.

[Check out Dr. Saturday on Tumblr for things you won’t see on the blog]

He started his career at Clemson, but was dismissed during his redshirt freshman season for “conduct detrimental to the program” and having a “pattern of behavior that is not consistent with the values of (Clemson’s) program.”

After his dismissal, Kelly moved on to East Mississippi Community College. In his lone season at EMCC in 2014, Kelly threw for 3,905 yards and 47 touchdowns en route to a junior college national championship.

Kelly then announced that he was transferring to Ole Miss in December 2014, but was arrested a few days after signing his letter of intent for an alleged altercation with bouncers outside of a Buffalo, N.Y., nightclub.

After being hit with a disorderly conduct charge, Kelly eventually reached a plea deal that included 50 hours of community service and a “drug and alcohol evaluation.”

Freeze was initially unsure about allowing Kelly to remain with the Rebels, but ultimately decided to keep him around. Kelly completed his community service in March and also joined Freeze on a volunteer mission to Haiti.

Ole Miss went 9-4 with Bo Wallace at quarterback in 2014. After opening their season against Tennessee-Martin at home on Saturday, the Rebels host Fresno State on Sept. 12 before a trip to Alabama to open SEC play on Sept. 19.

For more Ole Miss news, visit RebelGrove.com.

- - - - - - -

Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!